{"id":1120087,"date":"2023-07-05T20:16:05","date_gmt":"2023-07-05T20:16:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rfa.org\/english\/news\/china\/china-ageism-07052023161538.html"},"modified":"2023-07-05T20:16:05","modified_gmt":"2023-07-05T20:16:05","slug":"the-curse-of-35-in-china-job-hunters-battle-age-discrimination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2023\/07\/05\/the-curse-of-35-in-china-job-hunters-battle-age-discrimination\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u2018Curse of 35\u2019 in China: Job-hunters battle age discrimination"},"content":{"rendered":"
When China put an end to the grueling lockdowns, mass testing and compulsory quarantines of the <\/span>zero-COVID<\/span><\/a> era, most people were hoping life would get back to normal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n But a <\/span>local government debt crisis<\/span><\/a>, weak <\/span>domestic demand<\/span><\/a> and the collapse of <\/span>property prices<\/span><\/a> have left the economy in poor shape. At the same time, <\/span>unemployment among young people<\/span><\/a> has hit a five-year high.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n According to official data released in April, 20.4% of job seekers between the ages of 16 and 24 are unemployed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Added to all of that, there is the “Curse of 35.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Recruitment ads these days often call for candidates under 35, and the age barrier has become yet another ceiling on the aspirations of people who only want the chance to make a living.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n The current labor market also makes it much harder for people who want to settle down and <\/span>start a family<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Uncompensated OT<\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Age discrimination has been worsening in China for some time now, as companies seek younger employees willing to work large amounts of uncompensated overtime under the <\/span>996 system<\/span><\/a> — working from 9.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m., Monday to Saturday.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Much of the demand for excessive overtime comes from the tech sector, according to a 39-year-old former Huawei employee who gave only the nickname Emma, for fear of reprisals.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n “The internet industry has developed rapidly in mainland China over the past 10 years,” she said. “It’s an industry that has heavy overtime requirements, so it often discriminates against older people.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n